20. Power Difference

[And so, at last—the finals!]

The moment had finally arrived.

Two fighters who had conquered their way to the finals.

[Eastern side: William Argyle! Class: Sage!]

William approached with a light, confident stride. His crimson hair swayed gently, and beneath it lay eyes that were soft yet unwavering and direct.

Reet stepped forward to meet him in the center of the arena, fixing his gaze on his opponent.

The ability of his opponent was incalculable.

After all, this was the man who had defeated Sara instantly.

Sara had swordsmanship skills on par with his own and possessed the Holy Knight Class. Even for a newly-appointed knight, she was formidable.

Could he truly win?

Reet asked himself. The answer that emerged was: I don’t know.

Honestly, he had no confidence.

Yet he was not retreating either.

In a serious match, there’s no way to predict what might happen.

He would fight with everything he had.

[Western side: Reet. Class: Classless!]

The audience had grown accustomed to that announcement by now.

Both fighters were clearly skilled; the crowd already understood this.

No one could predict who would win, but that uncertainty was what captivated them.

[Then—let the match begin!]

The referee’s words.

William moved first.

“Fire Lance Rain!”

It was like a greeting, so to speak.

A common technique usable even by ordinary Mages.

But its power was in a completely different league.

Sensing this instinctively, Reet met it with his full strength.

“Sacred Blade!”

His strongest technique available.

The full-powered strike released from the blade of light cut through the flaming spears.

I felt through the clash that my instinct was correct.

He had faced this same technique during the knight recruitment exam, but the power was orders of magnitude greater than before.

Just as a Holy Knight used Sacred Fortification to enhance basic stats, the Sage class must have its own unique passive Skill. That would account for much of the difference.

But it seemed to be more than just that.

Reet received the Fire Lances with a full-strength slash.

Yet he felt the disparity in power.

The Sage and the Holy Knight were evenly matched in raw might.

But there was a gap in how skillfully they could wield them.

While William wielded his Skills with mastery, Reet was still borrowing techniques that weren’t truly his own.

William then unleashed another spell in succession.

“—Dragon’s Breath!!”

The high-level magic that William released so casually carried a power that instinct told him he couldn’t defend against.

This was the technique that had shattered Sara’s Sacred Blade.

If Sara couldn’t win, there’s no way I could.

But still.

Reet gambled on a sliver of hope and unleashed his strongest, fastest technique once more.

“—Sacred Blade!”

He flew into the flame alongside the blade of light.

Light and fire collided.

A tremendous impact!

A pressure he had never felt before.

The sacred light wrapped around his sword was being shaved away.

It’s no good—I can’t cut through it!!

His body felt like it was burning in the flame—

But then,

“Dragon’s Breath!!”

Reet unleashed that magic on reflex.

An advanced spell he had copied from Rogan long ago.

Mere borrowing, not strong enough on its own to overcome a Sage’s Dragon’s Breath, but if he could reduce its power first with the Sacred Blade!!

Reet’s blade ignited with searing heat, and he carved through William’s attack.

His vision opened up—!!

And beyond it stood William.

The sword was burned away, its form crumbling.

So instead, Reet clenched his left hand and drew back a full-power fist aimed straight at William’s solar plexus—

“—I surrender.”

That declaration made Reet’s fist stop.

[Winner: Reet!!]

The referee’s voice echoed across the arena.